Voyage of the Damned is based on the real life events of 1939 surrounding the ocean liner MS St Louis. 937 Jews were on the ship and were escaping from Germany to Havana, Cuba where they had been offered refuge. In the beginning the Jews were very excited as they were leaving behind the anti-Semitism feelings and were moving towards a normal life. During the journey they realized that the entire escape was actually part of a Nazi plan and they will not be let out free on their reaching Havana. They were being used to demonstrate that Jews will not get refuge anywhere in the world. The pleas of the passengers to the Cuban government and United States government get unheeded and they are forced to return of Europe. However, in the end some countries offer a few of the passengers’ refuge.